Cruzer didn't answer with words. He let the silence stretch—thick, humming with energy—as his blade pulsed brighter than ever before. The void wasn't just absorbing anymore; it was synchronizing. A perfect balance of elemental fury and cosmic defiance, an answer to every law Kael had fought to uphold.
And then Cruzer moved.
His step left a crater, air sucked into the space he had occupied as Void Step propelled him forward—faster, more precise, more inevitable than any strike Kael had ever faced. Their blades met again, but this time Kael was no longer forcing Cruzer back.
He was holding on.
Sparks of voidfire and starlight scattered like constellations shredded in reverse. Cruzer's Shardblade, supercharged with the resonance of Abyssal Convergence, slammed Kael's guard aside and struck his shoulder—a glancing blow, but enough to draw blood. Enough to break symmetry.
"You're unraveling," Cruzer said, voice almost pitying.
